The playbook
Broken Links: Template and Field Guide
This broken links template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures source URL, broken target, response, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
Separate an incorrect link in a shared menu from an obsolete external reference in one article. The menu repair belongs in the common component. The article may need a current replacement source or a rewritten recommendation rather than a redirect you do not control.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| source URL | Record the source URL associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| broken target | Record the broken target associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| response | Record the response associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| repair | Record the repair associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with source URL. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then collect broken internal and external destinations. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, identify the pages and components that link to them. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as redirecting a missing resource to an unrelated sales page, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, replace remove or redirect links based on relevance. Put restore the expected resource or update the surrounding recommendation in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Redirecting a missing resource to an unrelated sales page |
| Action | Restore the expected resource or update the surrounding recommendation |
| First check | Collect broken internal and external destinations |
| Follow-up check | Replace remove or redirect links based on relevance |
| Outcome to define | broken links on priority pages |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If broken target changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep broken links on priority pages connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Search results and indexing decisions are not controlled by the publisher. Record what your team changed and what was observed afterward. Avoid turning a correlation between a release and a traffic change into a claim of proven causation.
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